The Future of the Past: Memory, History and Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century

Date: Friday 27 Apr 2012 - 09:30 to 17:30

Place: Ioannou Centre for Research in Classical and Byzantine Studies

This colloquium will provide an interdisciplinary forum for reflection on cultural memory and heritage in the 21st century. It will bring together scholars from the fields of history, cultural policy, law, museology, library studies, world heritage studies and information technology to address a broad spectrum of aspects regarding the future of cultural memory: Who decides today what future generations will remember? What role do libraries and "universal museums" play in moulding memory cultures? Does the digitization of memory enhance historical knowledge? How global and virtual can cultural memory be? Is it possible to create a "Memory of the World"? How does the internationalization of cultural heritage relate to assertions of national identity and the national ownership of heritage?

All are most welcome to attend. No prior registration is required, and there is no conference fee. For further information please contact the conference organizers Dr Christina Kuhn or Dr Annika Kuhn.

Speakers include:

Digitizing the Past: Culture, Memory and Ancient Documents
Alan Bowman (CSAD, Oxford)
 

The British Museum: An Unfinished Enlightenment Project?
Andrew Burnett (British Museum, London)

Safeguarding Heritage: From Legal Rights over Objects to Legal Rights for Individuals and Communities?
Marie Cornu (CECOJI/CNRS, Paris)

The Medium and the Message: The UNESCO Memory of the World Register
Michael Heaney (Bodleian Libraries, Oxford)

Cultural Memory and Heritage between Past and Present
Annika Kuhn (University of Munich)

Libraries as Custodians of Cultural Memory in a Digital Age
David Pearson (Department of Culture, Heritage and Libraries, City of London)

Three Museums – One Collection: Concepts behind the New Displays of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art in Berlin
Andreas Scholl (Collection of Classical Antiquities, State Museums Berlin)

Crossing Cultures, Crossing Time at the Ashmolean Museum: Recent Display of Ancient Egypt and Nubia
Susan Walker (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford)